The Ultimate Community

by J Meverington

  ‘Is green tea okay?’

  ‘Yes, lovely thanks.’

  He switched the jug on, and emptied the old leaves from a teapot into a compost bin. ‘Take a seat.’ He pointed to a vintage dining table. Alice sat down on a wooden chair which wobbled.

  ‘So, you’re no longer a barista?’

  ‘Nah, I hate coffee. Martin, however, loved it. Glad I got him out of my system!’

  Alice laughed.

  He poured the tea and sat down opposite her. She needed answers but didn’t want to ruin his mood. But was there ever going to be a good time?

  ‘Ethan, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Do you know Charles Montgomery?’

  Ethan’s eyes darkened, and he said nothing.

  ‘Do you?’ she prompted.

  ‘He was an associate of Martin’s.’

  ‘Charles was my ex-boyfriend who controlled me in New York. Did you know that?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And he was in London a while ago?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Is he still working for you?’

  Ethan stood up and gazed out the window.

  ‘Please, just tell me what’s going on!’

  ‘It’s a long story and is going to sound far-fetched.’

  ‘As if cloning people and downloading brains isn’t! Just tell me, Ethan.’

  Ethan sat down and took a sip of his tea, slurping it like she’d heard in The Community. Josh had explained they drank like that to release more flavour. She’d had fun herself trying it out with Josh and he was right. She’d never do it in public though.

  Something that would normally disgust her, she found endearing in Ethan, imagining him as an innocent boy in The Community, with a glistening body of sweat like Scott. Stop it, she told herself. You can’t go falling for Ethan. But she feared it was too late.

  ‘While Martin still had control over me, he had me enlist Charles into setting up a company in New York. The company is a music streaming app.’

  ‘MooSickCool.’ Alice stated.

  ‘Yes, that’s right. How did you know?’

  ‘Damion hired an investigator, and he discovered Charles was the owner and director.’

  ‘Can’t keep anything from him!’

  Alice didn’t laugh. ‘Ethan, what’s going on?’

  ‘The music app collected data amongst other things and was used for profiling.’

  ‘Doofy said that was probably the case. What were the other things?’

  ‘Subliminal messages, which worked best when used with the headphones.’

  ‘O... kay, now you’re scaring me, I’ve used that app.’

  Ethan didn’t look surprised by this.

  ‘You knew, didn’t you?’

  He nodded.

  ‘So, what were these messages? Devil cult? Telling people to go kill themselves? Didn’t something like this happen in the seventies?’

  ‘No, nothing like that. I designed it to help people think for themselves, to think laterally. It reversed all the brainwashing techniques they’d learned, allowing them to become individuals again. To diss fashion, and religion, the steady nine-to-five, and to make them less greedy. We’ve been seeing some amazing changes in these people.’

  ‘How do you know? Do you follow them?’

  ‘We see it through the data. What they post or share on social media, search engines, etc.’

  ‘So, you’re spying on people?’

  ‘No. People are putting their information out there voluntarily. When they install the app, they agree to the terms.’

  Alice remembered checking that box without a second thought. ‘Nobody ever reads the terms and conditions.’

  ‘Because people are too busy, their concentration spans are shortening. Society is becoming dumb. This is what we’re trying to change Allie, can’t you see it?’

  She didn’t want to, but sadly she did. She’d noticed it on Facebook herself, people sharing a sob story that was clearly fabricated, or sharing stuff they hadn’t even read. People didn’t have time to read these days.

  ‘Well, it might have been in the terms and conditions, but it doesn’t make it ethical.’

  ‘I agree, and I tried to shut it down, but Charles threatened me.’

  ‘He threatened you? How?’

  ‘He sold MooSickCool to a corporation, and they’re using it for not so ethical purposes.’

  ‘Yikes, he’s crazy.’

  ‘He knows the location of The Community and told me if I tried to intervene, they’d all be murdered. If I were you, I wouldn’t use that app anymore.’

  The world as Allie knew it had gone mad. ‘I’d heard stuff about social media collecting information, but it’s never bothered me though, no one would be interested in me.’

  Ethan looked into his cup for a moment then stood up and flicked on the jug. ‘Another cup?’

  ‘No thanks, I’m good. So, what are you going to do about it?’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘About this company running wild with the app?’

  ‘There’s nothing I can do. It was Charles’s company, and he can do whatever he wants with it. Martin used to control him, but I’m not Martin, and I’d rather be shot of him.’

  ‘But big companies shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.’

  ‘It’s nothing new, they all do it. Our lives are there for anyone to see if they choose to. One thing they don’t know about is the code I installed. All they think they are buying is the data collecting tool.’

  ‘So, anyone listening to MooSickCool, will continue to be brainwashed?’

  Ethan laughed. ‘It’s not brainwashing. It’s subliminal. And it’s harmless. Unless they find the code and program it differently, which I doubt they will do, then my code won’t hurt anybody.’

  Alice wanted to believe him, but her lack of understanding didn’t allow her to. She’d been lied to so much, she didn’t know who to trust anymore.

  Chapter 35

  Alice was tired and hungry. ‘I’d better be going.’ She stood up to leave.

  ‘Why don’t you stay for dinner?’

  Her mind reeled from everything he’d told her, and she needed to go back to the quiet of her apartment and process it all. She was about to say no when her phone rang. It was Doofy.

  ‘Hello,’ she said, not wanting Ethan to know who it was.

  ‘Hey Allie, can you talk at the moment?’

  ‘Um, hang on.’ She covered the mouthpiece and told Ethan she was stepping out to take the call.

  Once outside, she spoke to Doofy. ‘Yep, I can now.’

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘At a friend’s place.’

  ‘Well, I have some good news for you. I’ve had two messages on your phone since I came home, and your stalker thinks you’re here, in San Diego. So, they aren’t tracking you, they’re tracking your phone.’

  ‘Oh, great. Scary though, they can do that.’

  ‘You need to be careful with your settings is all.’

  ‘Any idea who it is?’

  ‘No, not yet, but I’m working on it and it’s only a matter of time.’

  Alice relaxed, pleased the stalker didn’t know her whereabouts. She remembered how Doofy had said Chas had been acting strange. She needed to tell him about the music app.

  ‘How is Chas now?’

  ‘He’s still the same, less self-centred, still trying to help homeless people.’

  ‘He should stop listening to MooSickCool.’

  ‘Why?’

  Alice filled him in on what Ethan had told her.

  ‘Wow, scary stuff. I’ll delve deeper into the code, thanks for telling me. So, are you and Ethan friends now?’

  ‘Yes, I’d say so, he’s a nice guy. His son’s in hospital at the moment, and he needs a friend.’

  ‘Just be careful, Allie.’

  ‘I will.’

  She disconnected the call, pleased with the news. It proved Ethan had nothin
g to do with the text-messages, but she’d known that. Hadn’t she?

  Alice climbed the stairs to Ethan’s flat, and as she entered it, a fragrant aroma of spices filled her nostrils and her stomach grumbled with hunger.

  ‘Wow, that smells amazing. What’re you cooking?’

  ‘Beef stir fry. It’s almost done. I’ve made enough for both of us. Want some?’

  Alice had planned to pick up a takeaway on the way home, but Ethan’s cooking caused her to salivate.

  ‘If you’re sure you have enough, yes I’d love some.’

  ‘Great, take a seat, it’ll be ready shortly.’

  Ethan clanged around for a short while in his tiny kitchen, then plated up a perfect mound of rice with a colourful stir-fry to the side of it, and placed it on the table.

  ‘Wow, this looks amazing.’

  ‘I hope you enjoy it.’

  Alice tucked in. The freshness of the herbs and spices danced around on her tongue, the taste incredible.

  ‘Wow, where did you learn to cook like this?’

  ‘The Community. We had competitions to see who could produce the best meals. It meant we excelled ourselves and the Elders got to enjoy restaurant quality dishes, not that we knew what restaurants were back then.’

  ‘It sounds like MasterChef. What did you get for winning? A car? A book deal?’

  Ethan laughed. ‘No, we won time off work. A week not having to slave in the fields was a luxury worth winning.’

  ‘Did your team win all the time?’

  ‘No, but we think they rigged it and gave everyone a chance to win. We thought about testing the theory, but nobody wanted to take the risk. So, we continued to excel at cooking.’

  ‘You’ve developed great skills. This is delicious-ee-mo.’

  Alice devoured it, then used some fresh bread he’d laid out to mop up the sauce.

  ‘Want some more?’

  ‘Yes please, if there’s enough. Not sure why I’m so hungry.’

  After dinner, Ethan stacked the dishwasher and tidied up.

  ‘Allie, do you want to stay the night? To be honest, seeing Zac in hospital has torn me in pieces. I can’t handle being alone.’

  Alice looked around his cramped apartment and cringed.

  ‘You can have my bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa,’ he said. A tear trickled down his cheek.

  ‘Oh Ethan, what’s up?’

  He wiped the tear away. ‘Nothing, just emotional.’

  ‘Hey, I’m here if you want to talk about it.’

  ‘It’s lonely living here sometimes and I don’t want to forget the life I had before I came to London. I loved my kids Allie, loved them more than anything. Then I left them, and I’ve missed them growing up. Now, poor Zac is lying in hospital and it’s all my fault.’

  ‘How’s it your fault?’

  ‘From what they’ve said of his symptoms, I think it’s caused by a genetic failure. Matilda and I were cloned and all sorts of problems can happen in the cloning process. They shouldn’t have let us breed.’

  ‘But how could you have known?’

  Ethan threw his arms up in the air and let them flop down. ‘It’s still my fault. If I’d never had him, he wouldn’t be suffering.’

  ‘You’re talking crap. It’s no way your fault. Ethan, snap out of it, you need to be strong for your son.’

  Ethan put his head in his hands and started crying. Alice put her arms around him, pulling him into a hug to comfort him. She couldn’t leave him like this.

  After a few minutes, he composed himself and looked at her with his bloodshot eyes. ‘I’m sorry Matty, I should be stronger for you.’

  ‘Ethan, I’m Allie, not Matty.’

  He stared at her for a moment, trying to focus. He got up and went to the bathroom. Alice heard him blowing his nose, then the tap started running. The poor guy was screwed up more than she’d realised.

  Chapter 36

  Alice stayed the night with Ethan and headed back to her apartment the next morning. Ethan had apologised for acting like a baby the previous evening, and Alice had told him not to worry about it. He offered to make up for it by taking her out for dinner, but she had said she’d think about.

  Alice didn’t know what to make of Ethan. There was no doubt she had feelings for him, but to become involved with someone with so many issues rang warning bells in her head. Maybe she should follow her heart, not her head, and give him a chance. But did she want a relationship?

  She needed normality in her life, so she called Katie.

  ‘Allie, where’ve you been, I miss you.’

  ‘Hey Katie, things are getting crazy.’

  ‘Well, come over and tell me all about it.’

  Alice caught the train to Putney and walked down from the station. As she entered Katie’s house, the smell of bacon invaded her nostrils, and Paul sat on the sofa eating a fry-up.

  Katie led her to the kitchen. ‘Coffee?’

  ‘Can I have tea, please?’

  ‘Oh, I forgot, you’ve given it up. Good on you.’

  Katie made their drinks, and they sat down at the dining table in the kitchen.

  ‘What’s going on? I haven’t seen you in ages.’

  ‘All sorts of crap.’ Alice told her about the stalker.

  ‘Do you think it’s Charles?’

  ‘It could be, but he wasn’t interested in me when I ran into him after yoga.’

  ‘He seemed harmless. Can’t imagine what you saw in him though, he’s old.’

  ‘We’re talking ten years ago, he was younger then.’

  ‘So were you. Oh lordy, that makes him a cradle snatcher. Even worse!’

  Alice laughed. ‘It’s all history now.’

  ‘So, what’s the deal with your doctor? Has he hypnotised you and had his wicked way with you?’

  Alice told her how his son was sick and in hospital.

  ‘Son? That’s news. He looks too young to have an eleven-year-old. Is he married?’

  ‘Separated. His son, Zac, lives on a commune with his mother. It’s a long story.’

  ‘Commune? What are you mixed up in, Allie? It all sounds so cultish.’

  Alice wondered if Katie was right. Was she in the middle of something illegal? The outside world didn’t know about The Community and it seemed they were being held against their will.

  Katie interrupted her thoughts. ‘Have you heard anything from Jason?’

  ‘Nope, it’s like he never existed.’

  ‘Have you stalked his Facebook page?’

  ‘No, but he never posts on it.’

  ‘I’ll check it out.’ Katie scrolled around on her phone. ‘Nope, you’re right. Nothing.’

  ‘I don’t care anyway, we would never have been forever. I realise I was only using him for company, I never had strong feelings for him.’

  ‘Phew, I’d have hated to see you settle down and have kids with him. I’d like to meet this Ethan guy though, it sounds like you’ve got it bad for him.’

  How did Katie know? She’d never said anything to her.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You’re so into him, it’s obvious. The way your eyes light up when you talk about him.’

  ‘There is something about him, but... it’s complicated.’

  ‘Because of his ex-wife?’

  ‘No, she’s out of the picture.’

  ‘Hey, if you’re into him, go for it. Love doesn’t come by often and you gotta grab it by the balls when you can.’

  Alice laughed out loud at Katie’s words. But love had only ever meant pain to Alice, and she didn’t want to go there again.

  Chapter 37

  Alice needed to get away from the madness of London, so she visited Damion in France. She’d hardly spoken to him since her trip to The Community, so it would be a good chance to catch up.

  The rain poured down as she landed in Bordeaux. Damion drove her back to his farmhouse while Molly and Ben talked away in the back seat, happy to see her. Alice struggled to keep up
with their constant chatter, not knowing how to talk to children, and wished Terri and Josh were here to take some of their attention.

  Because of the heavy rain and a bad accident, they took over two hours to get home. Alice took her bag up to her room, lay down on the bed, and listened to the rain as it pelted down on the roof.

  As much as she tried to resist it, Ethan’s face kept popping into her mind, smiling one minute, crying the next. Annoyed with herself, she got up and went downstairs for a distraction. Damion came out of his office when he saw her.

  ‘Coffee?’

  ‘Tea please.’ When will people remember she didn’t drink coffee anymore? Little things like that were starting to irritate her.

  ‘Still off the coffee, huh?’

  ‘It’s not a temporary thing, it’s a lifestyle choice. I won’t drink coffee again, it’s addictive.’

  Damion raised his hands in defence. ‘Hey, sorry for asking.’

  Alice was normally such a laid-back person and wondered where this sudden mood had come from. Was it because of the secrets she was hiding?

  She sat at the dining table while Damion made their drinks. He placed hers in front of her, then sat down opposite.

  ‘Allie, what’s going on? You’re not yourself at all. Is it something to do with your trip to The Community? You’ve barely said a word about it since you visited here. I’m worried about you.’

  ‘It’s nothing.’

  ‘Hey, I know you, and I know it’s not nothing. Spill!’

  ‘I promised I wouldn’t say anything.’

  ‘Allie, you can talk to me, you know that.’

  Alice repeated what Josh had told her about how The Community members were mostly clones, and that Terri was a clone of Camilla.

  ‘Bloody Josh. There was no need for him to burden you with all of that.’

  Rage bubbled up inside her, annoyed that Damion felt she should have been kept in the dark on something so closely related to her.

  ‘Seriously! You don’t think I should have known any of this? Terri is biologically my mother. My dead parents are living in a community which holds its members captive and is run by my birth mother. What part of this do you think should have been kept secret from me!’

  Damion went to open his mouth, but Alice continued. ‘And the people being kept captive are clones, originally only existing to provide organs to rich people who don’t deserve them. Damion, why haven’t you been to the authorities with this?’